a locket and a photo (we didn't mean for this to happen)
by Rasiaa
Summary: "I love you, you know?" he tried, and his eyes widened. He looked astounded. / "I thought you didn't." / Sometimes damage happens without anyone knowing until it's undeniable anymore.


_For isaacswolfsbane and the one-shot monthly exchange thing. Prompts: Albus/Scorpius, romance, angst, AU, You by Greta Isaac. I wrote this, not so much based off the lyrics, but more based on the background music, and the way it made me feel. I looked at the darkness of the video, the dirt and the low lights, and that's what I based their apartment off of. I suggest listening to the song while reading this. More explicit on ao3. My username there is Rasiaa as well  
_

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 _What I would do to get under your skin._

The chains moved in the powerful winds, and he pulled his coat closer, the hood higher, and tasted the fur of the lining as it blew in and out of his face. He glanced to the side without moving his head too much, and the yanked his gaze back down to the cracked sidewalk, unwilling to listen to the thrum of the machines and the cranking of belts, never mind actually looking at them.

Walking.

It's the only thing that made any sense anymore.

The shrill ringing of his phone startled him, and he ducked into a nearby alleyway, pulling it free from the back pocket of his jeans. Teeth rattling in the cold, he looked blearily at the caller id and then declined the call. Heart racing, he moved back into the street and after a while of continuous movement, the chains became harder to hear, and he could breathe a sigh of relief. The phone buzzed again and again, but he ignored it.

He looked up, eyes searching for people, only to come up short. A few cars sped passed on the road, but that was all, as he stood there. He closed his eyes and swayed, hugging himself. He was sure that he made quite the pathetic picture.

Finally, with shaking hands, he pressed the button for the sidewalk.

It took a minute, but the green walk signal eventually lit up, and he walked with shaky steps across the dark tar of the road. Stumbling, he lurched when a particularly powerful gust of wind nearly blew him over. Regaining his bearings, he shook his head and tugged his jacket closer despite the fact that it wasn't working at all.

He glanced up, taking in the signs written in unfamiliar Chinese writing, the way the red lamps blew harshly in the wind. Paper rolled on the street, all colors and a mixture of Chinese and broken English. He kept walking. The lights reflected on the windows, creating colorful streaks, the only things unmoving in this harsh storm.

Finally, he came to a stop just outside Chinatown, pulling his keys out of his pocket with shaking hands. He slid the key into the lock and pushed the door open, trying to not lose it in the wind. He slammed it behind him, relishing the warmth that immediately assaulted his face and sank into his skin.

"Scorpius?"

He opened his eyes, not realizing he had closed them, to find his boyfriend Albus staring at him warily from the doorway to the kitchen, a few yards away.

"I thought…" Albus trailed off, his befuddlement clear. He shook his head slightly and plastered a smile onto his face, waving a wooden spoon around and wiping his hand on the apron his was wearing. Cake batter slid off the spoon and hit the wooden floor, a stark white against the dark, dirty brown. "Come inside, love. I've got dinner in the oven, and then we can break open the wine I bought yesterday while you were at work, okay? How does that sound?"

Scorpius nodded, the image in front of him flickering slightly as he did so. Albus' expression didn't waver, but it also didn't reach his eyes. "I'll be in there in a minute," he assured his lover. "I'll just hang my coat up and take off my shoes."

"Alright, love," Albus said, and turned, disappearing into the kitchen again. Scorpius released a heavy breath and turned sharply to the right, heading up the creaky, old stairs. He eyed the hole in the sixth one, resigned, and continued on, looking up to meet the eyes of Albus, framed by dark, fluffy hair, standing in front of an old swing set, while Scorpius sat on the swing next to him. They were both smiling in the photo, the light of the sun straining their eyes and making their faces scrunched up. He smiled weakly back at the young children and turned to the left, heading into the bedroom.

Bare walls and a bed without even a quilt to cover the sheets made him wonder when everything had gone so wrong.

Toeing off his shoes, he shed his coat and tossed it in the general direction of the chair in the corner, and stopped in front of his bedside table. He opened the drawer and dumped the contents onto the bed, uncaring. He lifted the false bottom and pulled the picture out.

This had been taken two years ago on their seventh anniversary. Sparklers in hand, the night sky black and blue behind them, long coats buttoned up for warmth, they were smiling, laughing, and he could still remember how they had felt. They had had their family over, and Harry had cooked on a grill, and the whole atmosphere had been loving and hopeful.

He could barely remember, however, what it had been like to have Albus look at him like he mattered.

"Dinner!"

He put the picture away, shoved the irrelevant things back in the drawer, and went downstairs.

Albus was waiting by the table, eyes distant and dark. He looked up when he heard Scorpius, and smiled.

Scorpius smiled back automatically, eyeing the low cut tee shirt, the way his collarbones were prominent in the low lighting. He met Albus' eyes and his smile dimmed.

"I love you, you know?" he tried, and Albus' eyes widened. He looked astounded.

Wordlessly, Scorpius sat down and began serving the roast beef that Albus had cooked, with green beans and rice. It wasn't anything special, really, since all of the meats at the nearby butcher's had been on sale recently, and they had enough rice in the pantry to last them years. He served Albus first, then himself, and purposefully didn't look at the other man until cool, thin fingers reached across the table and held his hand. He looked up.

Albus' smile was shaky, sad. His soft hair, normally so fluffy, was damp with sweat, and the dark circles under his eyes spoke of the many sleepless nights Scorpius knew all about. The wrinkles on his face were faint, but after twenty seven years of life, he wasn't surprised to see them there.

"I thought you didn't," Albus murmured into the silence, and Scorpius felt his heart break.

He dropped his fork and took Albus' other hand, pulling them both to his lips to kiss his knuckles. "I always have. I always will, Allie."

Albus pulled his hands back and he tried valiantly to pretend it didn't hurt when Albus just picked up the fork and began to eat, saying nothing more.

Scorpius reached into his pocket and laid a box on the table. Albus looked at it, then at him, a question on his lips. He cut him off before he could ask, and said, "I made that for you."

The fork clinked on the ceramic plate as Albus put it down. He reached for the box, hesitated as his fingers brushed against it, and then swiped it up. He opened it.

Scorpius leaned back.

Albus pulled the locket out of the box slowly, setting the container on the table once more. He fingered the chain as he stared at the design imprinted into the fine silver. It wasn't easy to make, for all that the design was relatively simple, just a few swirls. He used the nail of his thumb to open the locket, and a tear fell from his eye. He didn't seem to notice.

"Like I said," Scorpius said, standing. Albus looked up sharply, looking like he was barely holding himself together. "I love you. Always have. Always will."

He left.

They didn't have a television, but they did have a computer. Scorpius swung the door open to the little study they had just off the kitchen, and he shut the door behind him.

He turned the thing on. He waited. And when the lock screen came up, he felt that oh so familiar melancholy settle over him again. Once more, he was met with a photo of him and Albus, this time in their graduation robes, their backs to the school and their shoes off. He typed in his password and ignored the background photo of he and Albus at his sister's wedding, pulling up the internet and wasting the next hour or so playing solitaire.

The door swung open behind him, and he didn't turn. Albus came up and stood behind him. He jumped when Albus hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Scorpius' shoulder. Albus nuzzled the side of his face with his nose, and Scorpius finally gave in, leaning back into the contact. Albus hummed a little and pulled away, turning the chair. When he climbed onto Scorpius' lap, it wasn't a surprise. This routine had been familiar and frequent once upon a time. Albus rested his head on Scorpius' collarbone and said nothing, but Scorpius noted with some surprise that the locket was around his neck.

"I called you," Albus said weakly, after some amount of time had passed.

Scorpius rested his cheek on the soft black hair and sighed. "I know."

"Why didn't you answer?"

He shook his head and took a deep breath, smelling the faint scent of vanilla on his boyfriend. "I don't know."

Albus let it go. He curled tighter and after another few moments, "I have cake," he offered.

Neither of them made any move to get up.

"Can I fight for you?" Scorpius asked eventually.

Albus looked up. His eyes searched Scorpius' gray ones, and then he nodded. "I'm sorry, for what it's worth," Albus said. "I know it's been awful lately."

"What even went wrong?" he murmured, and Albus' eyes filled with tears.

"I think… that when we had to do that long distance thing for a while… it just…" Albus lost his words and Scorpius didn't blame him. He just pulled him closer and Albus took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I won't go away again," Scorpius said. "Not if a year of not talking and sleepless nights and the thought of losing you is the price. No matter the money that I make."

Albus nodded. Silence overtook them again.

"Do you want the wine?" Albus questioned quietly.

"No," Scorpius said. "I want to stay right here."

Albus huffed a laugh. "I don't," he said. "Carry me to bed?"

Scorpius ducked his head and nudged at Albus' cheek, making him look up. He caught Albus' mouth in a kiss, slow and lazy, the first one they'd really had in a while.

As he stood, they didn't break it, and Scorpius navigated the small apartment easily with Albus in his arms. He kicked the bedroom door open and laid Albus on the bed, crawling in next to him. They didn't bother with the sheets.

Scorpius pulled at the knot of the apron, feeling it unravel and he twirled his fingers through the strings to make them separate completely as he bit gently on Albus' bottom lip. They pulled apart to get the apron off, and then they were together again, Albus' fingers in his hair and Scorpius' hands, cold on Albus' sides as he began to pull the shirt off.


End file.
